


serendipity

by lotrtrash



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Band, Anxiety, Bisexual Josh Dun, Friends to Lovers, Gay Tyler Joseph, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-12 07:37:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7092505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lotrtrash/pseuds/lotrtrash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh is freaking out because he is going to a concert on his own, but then he meets Tyler.<br/>Or, what happens when you find something you didn't know you were looking for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh is going to see Green Day live, and so is Tyler. They are also very anxious about it. Facebook saves the day.

Being Josh Dun was usually pretty good. His family and friends loved him, he owned every season of The X-Files and he had bought his first drum kit a month ago. His life was quite easy... except for when it wasn't.

Josh had been tossing and turning in bed for hours. His brain didn't want to sleep today. He turned to check the alarm clock on the bedside table: 3 AM. He sighed and forced his eyes shut, wishing his mind would stop racing. He thought of texting his friend Hayley, but stopped himself from doing it. She always told him his anxiety was no joke and that he should talk to her when he was having a bad moment, but Josh knew she had class in the morning and didn't want to wake her up. Besides, it was all really stupid: that morning Mum told him she wouldn't be able to pick him up from the concert he was attending in a few days. That simple, small thing wouldn't let him sleep at all. That, and the fact that he was going there alone.

What if something went wrong? What if he lost all his money and couldn't find a taxi? He hated taking taxis, the drivers always tried to make small talk and Josh was too awkward for that. And the queue, oh God. He was going to get there early in the morning in the hopes of being on the front row, but none of his friends were coming with him. Why had he thought going on his own was a good idea in the first place? What if he spent the whole time alone? Or worse, what if he didn't? What if someone tried to speak to him? What was he going to do?

What if, what if, what if. And turn around, and please fall asleep. Josh realized his body was so tense it hurt. Relax, everything will be okay. But, what if...? And start again.

This is what happened when he skipped his meds.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Josh got dressed without looking in the mirror. He knew he looked horrible from only having had an hour of sleep. He always felt dizzy after a night like last one, and he knew to be careful when going downstairs. There he was greeted by his smiling mum and the smell of fried eggs and bacon.

'Why the big breakfast?' Josh asked. They only had eggs and bacon in the weekends, none of them felt like cooking right before work or school.

'I heard you pacing in your room last night and it was pretty late, so I figured if you hadn't had a good sleep you might want to eat a nice breakfast, you'll need your energy at work' she answered with a sweet smile.

'Thanks mum, you are the best'. Josh sat down and happily dug into his plate. His mum was right, he needed a boost of energy, but he knew no food was going to take his dizziness away. It was something you learnt when you had spent enough sleepless nights: nothing but sleep made you feel better.

'So, why couldn't you sleep? Is your medication not working?' Josh cursed under his breath, he was hoping she wouldn't ask.

'No mum, it works. I had coffee pretty late yesterday'

'You know you shouldn't have coffee past five, Josh. It makes you restless'. She turned to look at him with a disapproving frown while setting the table for the rest of the family.

'I usually have decaf, it was a mistake' Josh said fixing his eyes on his plate. He didn't like worrying his mum.

'Well, try to go to sleep early today, will you? You really look tired sweetheart' She finished serving breakfast and put a hand on Josh's shoulder. 'And you smile more when you are rested, I prefer it' she said.

Josh looked up to see his mum smiling at him and returned the smile with one of his own. Inside, he felt like crying. He didn't like lying to his mum. The truth is, he hadn't taken his meds yesterday. He hadn't taken them for a week. He had been doing so well, he just thought he didn't need them anymore. He knew he was wrong, but he wanted to believe it. He hated depending on a pill to be normal. It wasn't the first time he stopped taking his medication. Last time, within three days of not taking it he had skipped class because the thought of walking down the school corridors gave him an anxiety attack. Mum had found him in his room sitting on the floor and staring into space, crying. She had taken him to the doctor and between the two of them they convinced him to start taking his pills again.

This had been his last attempt at going on without medication, he told himself. He didn't want to spend another night like last one ever again. It didn't only tire his body, but it felt like it drained his soul. This wasn't "I spent the night studying" tired. This was "my brain tried to consume itself last night and I'm not sure if it succeeded" tired. Besides, he didn't want to disappoint his family. And the medication worked! Josh was lucky for that, and he wasn't going to stop himself from being happy just because the proud part of himself didn't like to admit he needed help. So he finished his breakfast, went to the bathroom to retrieve the bottle of pills from the cabinet, and instead of taking it there like he usually did, he went back to the kitchen so his mum could see him swallowing it. He wanted her to know he was taking care of himself.

In that moment, Jordan burst into the kitchen.

'Good morniiiiing!', he said too loud and too enthusiastically for Josh. He still felt dizzy.

'Turn it down a bit, will you?'

'Ooooh someone is grumpy! What is it Joshy? You still worried about next week?' Josh knew his little brother found funny to see him like this. He wasn't bad-intentioned, he just enjoyed being a dick from time to time.

'As a matter of fact, yes! I'm going to be queueing outside the venue for like, eight hours and I have no one to spend the time with!' He didn't mention the taxi bit, knowing full well his brother would find it extremely amusing. If he was being honest, it sounded lame even to himself.

'Oh honey, why do you have to queue for eight hours? You'll catch a cold in this weather' Mum intervened.

'Muuuum, we've been over this, I'm doing it because I want to get to the front row. It's just that it would be better to have someone to chat with' Josh said with an exasperated sigh.

'Have you though of looking through Facebook?' Jordan said around a mouthful of eggs.

'...What?'

'Yeah, there are event pages for every show ever, and people sell their tickets if they can't go or contact others to queue with. You didn't know that?'

'How did _you_ know it? You've never been to a concert!' Josh said.

'My friend Nate has been to several with his dad, he knows all the tricks' he said with a mocking smile.

'Jordan, honey, you need to hurry up or you'll be late for school' their mum said. Josh checked the time on his phone. He had fifteen minutes to get to work. Considering the music shop where he worked was a twenty minute walk away from his house, he better start running.

'Shit, I have to go, see you tonight' He rushed to get his coat, wallet and keys. He was opening the door to the street when Mum appeared behind him saying 'Watch your mouth, young man, or no more special breakfasts'.

Josh flashed her a smile, and closed the door while shouting 'I love you!'. He started running, he didn't want to be late, but his body wasn't on his best state this morning, and when his head started spinning he had to stop for a few minutes until the dizziness passed. He started walking again, much more calmly. There was no way he would make it in time now, so at least he would get there in one piece.

 

* * *

 

That night, Josh did as Mum had told him in the morning and went to bed pretty early. He was absolutely shattered. Work had been okay, his boss didn't show up at all so the only person that saw him arriving late was his colleague and friend Mark. And Mark was always late so he couldn't really say anything. After he finished, he went to Hayley's house to help her re-dye her hair and play Smash Bros. He didn't want to because he was tired and he knew she would notice and ask about it. He didn't feel like explaining what had happened with his medication, but getting together on Wednesday's was a tradition that had been going on for almost two years now, and cancelling meant giving an excuse and she always knew when he was lying, so there was no point. It was telling her now or telling her later, and he'd rather put it behind him as soon as possible. So he went to her house, told her about it, and then beat her ass at the game.

He was starting to drift off when he remembered the conversation he had had with his brother in the morning. Jordan had suggested looking on the Facebook event page. Truth is, Josh didn't really use that social platform so he didn't know what an "event page" was, but he had an account and he wouldn't lose anything by trying, right? He took his phone and soon enough he was in the event "Green Day in Columbus 24th of February". He saw that there weren't many posts on the page, but he guessed there would be more in a couple of days. He wondered what he should write, he couldn't sound too nice because he didn't want too many queueing companions. He could settle with one or two people to talk to. In the end, Josh wrote:

_"Hi, gonna be queueing from 9AM, anyone else going solo? Could use the company._

_Also, the gig is going to be sick._

_Stay street frens"_

It was weird enough that not many people would answer. Satisfied, Josh switched his phone off and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

 

*                                    *                                    *

 

'What do you mean you can't go?'

'I'm sorry Ty, but my biology teacher said if I didn't hand in this project I would fail his class, and you know I need a good mark on this one' Pete answered. 

'Why didn't you finish it earlier? You knew you had to do it since Christmas!' Tyler's voice gradually raised until he was almost shouting.

'Sorry man, I forgot' Pete said apologetically.

Tyler groaned in annoyance. Four days before the concert and Pete cancelled like this. How could he do that? They had been waiting for the show for months! He couldn't go alone. He couldn't. He would have to cancel the whole thing. 

'Well now I can't go, thanks Pete' Tyler sighed. He really wanted to see Green Day live, but going there, queueing on his own... No way. He'd rather stay in bed and sulk all day than go through the torture of being surrounded by strangers for hours.

'Why not? You should go, even if it's on your own.' Tyler didn't even have to answer that, he just stared at his roommate, who knew full well how much he couldn't handle being out on his own for a long time.

Pete sighed, understanding what he meant, and raised his hands. 'Okay okay, I know, sorry. Dude, I wanted to go. It's not like I chose to miss the show.' he complained. Tyler knew he was being unfair to him and that it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but to Tyler Joseph it was. Besides, his roommate could be very exasperating, he deserved to vent every now and then.

Pete wasn't a bad guy. He was a mostly a hyper-active dork that loved poetry and couldn't shut up about his boyfried. He also had a talent for having his way with teachers. They usually let him hand in his projects and compositions a couple of days later because he was charming as fuck.

'Can't you cast your spells on this teacher and convince him to give you more time?' he asked.

'No spells Ty-Ty, it's all charisma and this' Pete answered pointing at his duckface.

'Oh, now I understand! They let you do whatever you want as long as they don't have to see your face more than necessary'.

'Hey, rude. And no, I can't use my magic with this one because I hate his subject and he hates me. If I don't pass, I'll have to stay here studying during spring break and I won't be able to see Patrick' Pete said with a sad sigh. 'I'm really sorry I can't go, I was looking forward to this as much as you are.'

'It's fine, I'm sure they'll play in Columbus again someday'. Tyler said, forcing a smile. 'Do you mind if I play a bit? Or do you need to study now?' He said, pointing at the keyboard resting against the wall of their room.

'Nah, go ahead' Pete said, 'I'm meeting Vic later in the library, he's helping me with the biology thingy. I might as well have a rest before I leave'.

'Pete, you've been "resting" all morning'

'Mind your own business, Joseph' Pete said while collapsing into his bed and pulling his phone out from his pocket. Tyler eyed him suspiciously.

Pete saw him looking and groaned. 'Dude, I'm not going to look at porn. That only happened once, and I was high. Stop looking at me like that every time I use my phone'

Tyler snorted in amusement, remembering the time he had been woken up in the middle of the night by his high roommate playing incredibly loud porn in the bed next to his. He sat down on his bed with the keyboard resting on his knees and started playing a soft tune, something to calm his nerves. He missed his old piano, but he had had to leave it at home when he moved to the dorms and buy this one on Ebay. It was cheap and small, but it did the job. Music always helped him relax, and the sudden change of plans had stressed him out a bit. So he played, completely absorbed in the music, until Pete stood up and let something fall on the bed next to him. Tyler looked at his friend in confusion.

'Why did you have my phone?'

'I took it. You'll thank me later' Pete said with a mischievous smile.

Alarm bells started ringing in Tyler's head. 'What have you done?' Pete wouldn't look at him. He had put on a grey t-shirt and was now picking up his backpack from the floor. 'Pete!'

Finally, his roommate turned to face him.

'I just found you someone to go to the gig with, you're welcome' and with that, he was gone.

Tyler stood there, gaping at the closed door. What had Pete said? He threw himself over the bed and grabbed his phone, fearing whatever his friend had done. How had he unlocked it? He didn't recall giving him his password. Then again, when you used the same one for absolutely everything, it wasn't difficult to spill it on accident. And when that password was "tacobell"... Okay, yes, he needed to change it. 

Tyler unlocked his phone and saw that it was open on a Facebook event page. More specifically, in the page of the concert they were supposed to attend in four days. Everything seemed normal, just posts of people that couldn't go selling their tickets and stuff like that, and for a moment he felt relieved thinking that Pete hadn't done anything. He was probably joking, fucking Pete. He was going to pay for worrying him like tha- wait. Scrolling down, he saw a different post. Someone was "going solo" and was looking for people to queue with. 

'Pete Wentz, if you have done what I think you have I swear to God I'll kill you and throw your dead body to the lake' he promised. Because when he clicked on the post, he saw there was only one reply.

_Tyler Joseph: hey, I'm going alone to the concert and I'm also alone in life, wanna queue together?_

He was definitely going to kill Pete.

 

* * *

 

 Pete must have guessed Tyler wasn't happy about what he had done, because he didn't show up in their room right after he finished studying with Vic. Tyler had spent the first hour after discovering Pete had messaged a stranger through his phone looking at the screen, fearing an answer. When it became clear the author of the post wasn't going to reply anytime soon, he opted for studying a bit, he needed to catch up on his work. He gathered all his books and settled on his desk, but half an hour later it was clear he couldn't stop thinking about Pete's message, so he put everything he needed in his backpack and left for the library, leaving his phone behind.

Three hours later Tyler got back to his room, satisfied with the work he had done and so hungry he could eat a horse. He was expecting Pete to be back already, but he found his roommate hadn't showed up yet. He was leaving his books on the table when he saw his phone resting on top of it. The little light that indicated he had received a notification was flickering. He stared at it apprehensively before deciding it could wait until he had had a shower. He undressed himself and soon he was under the spray of warm water. While he massaged his scalp with the lemon-scented shampoo, he sung a perfect rendition of Single Ladies, a guilty pleasure of his.

He had just finished and was stepping out of the shower when he heard the room door opening and Pete calling his name. Tyler wrapped himself in a towel and got out of the bathroom.

'Pete Lewis Kingston Wentz III'. His roommate turned around to face him.

'That's me. Hey, why haven't you answered my texts? I've been trying to contact you for hours!'

Tyler crossed his arms and gave him an annoyed look. 'Aren't you going to apologize for earlier?'

'What?' Pete looked at him confused.

'Pete!' Tyler raised his arms in frustration. 'You messaged a stranger on my phone!'

'Oh, that! I made you a favour. Now you can go to the concert.' Pete said with a big smile. 

'I'm not going. He could be a freak, a weirdo predating on young boys. What if I get kidnapped? What if he is a psycho killer!?'

'Don't be ridiculous, Tyler. Did he answer?'

Tyler shrugged, 'I don't know, I haven't checked my phone in hours.' 

'So that's why you haven't answered my texts. Look, I just came here to pick you up. It's poetry slam night in the coffee shop tonight, wanna come over?'

'No, I'm still angry at you.' 

'Don't be a child Tyler, pleeease?

'I said no, I don't feel like it today.' And he still had to check if the stranger had answered. The sole thought made him nervous.

'Alright man, whatever you want.' Pete turned around and opened the door to leave. 'Don't worry too much about the Facebook thing. And change your password, for God's sake.'

Tyler didn't even look his way while the door closed. He quickly put on his pyjamas and sat on his bed, fixing his eyes on the phone that rested on the desk. He still was annoyed, but Pete was right. This was ridiculous. He went over to the desk and grabbed the phone, unlocking it and checking his notifications. Surely enough, there were Pete's texts, plus one from his mum asking him when he was arriving home on Sunday. He quickly typed an answer, and when he finished, he lay down on his bed and checked his Facebook.

There was a reply on the post, and he had a friend request from its author.

_Josh Dun: nice, pm!_

What on Earth "pm" meant, Tyler had no idea. He did a quick research in the always useful Urban Dictionary. "Private Message". Oh. Now the friend request made more sense. Tyler felt a bit reluctant to accept it. This had been Pete's idea after all, and Pete was known for having terrible ideas. Still, the profile picture showed a boy with black, clearly straightened hair. He looked quite like an angsty emo teenager. Nothing too unusual.

'Ugh, fuck it' Tyler said, and pressed "accept". He was too tired now, he could regret it in the morning.

Immediatly, a chat bubble appeared on the side of the phone screen. He pressed it and saw a message from Josh Dun.

_Josh: hi! I'm Josh, nice to meet you_

_Tyler: hi, I'm Tyler. Just to let you know, it wasn't me who wrote that reply to your post, it was a friend. i'm not "alone in life" or whatever he said._

It took Josh a few minutes to answer.

_Josh: oh, does that mean you are not looking for someone to queue with?_

Tyler bit his lip. This was his chance to end this stupid situation, but Josh seemed like a normal guy. Friendly. And he really wanted to see Green Day. He considered it for a few moments, and then he typed:

_Tyler: oh no, I definitely need company for the queue._

_Josh: great! gotta go to bed rn, but we can talk about it tomorrow?_

_Tyler: sure thing, goodnight!_

_Josh: g'night :)_

Tyler switched off his phone and smiled to himself. This might turn out well after all.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is my first fic ever, so I'm not sure at all about posting it. Advice of any kind is very welcome, and let me know what you think in the comments! Also, English is not my first language, so if you spot any mistakes pls point them out kindly.  
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyler and Josh have their first proper conversation.

On Saturday morning, Josh jolted awake by the loud sound of his alarm. Startled, he stretched his arm to silence it, but knocked the alarm clock off the bedside table instead. With a groan, he crawled out of bed and knelt on the floor, blindly searching for it. Once he found it, he saw it was 8 AM. Why did he have to get up so early? Josh remained sitting on the floor for a few minutes, staring into the darkness of his room. When the last traces of sleep cleared from his mind, he remembered he was supposed to work today so he could have a day off on Tuesday.

He rose to his feet and walked to his wardrobe, throwing on the first t-shirt he could find with his ever-present black skinny jeans. In the bathroom, he brushed his teeth and run his fingers through his hair to mess it up a bit, and with that he was ready. He took two energy bars from the kitchen, put his coat on and left the house quietly. He didn't want to wake anyone up so early, his was a family of late sleepers.

The streets were deserted and the air was chilly and fresh. Yesterday had been raining the whole day, but Josh could feel today was going to be sunny and cold, his favourite kind of day. Despite the early rise, he was in a good mood. He had plenty of time, so he stopped at the coffee shop to get hot drinks for him and Mark. He even remembered to take lots of sugar for his friend.

Mark hadn't opened the record store yet, so Josh did it calmly, whistling to himself and sipping his coffee. He had started to place the new arrivals on the shelf when Mark burst through the door, panting.

'So... late... sorry... the alarm...' Mark tried to explain.

'Dude, did you just run a marathon?' Josh said with a chuckle.

Finally, Mark managed to catch his breath. 

'I forgot to set my alarm yesterday, I woke up by chance ten minutes ago!'

'And still you are only fifteen minutes late, impressive' Josh said, trying to repress a laugh. His friend looked really funny with his tousled bed hair and a sleepy look on his face, but he knew Mark could get really grumpy when he had just got up, so he didn't mention it. Instead, he pointed to the counter, where he had left Mark's coffee.

'I've got you covered for breakfast' he said, walking over to him and handing him an energy bar.

The way his friend started gobbling it down was almost comical, and his face of pure satisfaction when he took a sip of coffee was downright hilarious.

'I'm building you a church, Josh. My lord and saviour.'

At that Josh gave up and burst out in laughter. Mark didn't spare him a look though, too focused on eating.

Josh went back to organising the shelves and soon they settled into a comfortable silence, both of them working. Saturday mornings were never busy, specially at 9AM, so Josh was surprised to hear the ring of the bell that announced someone entering the store. He turned to see a head covered in strawberry blond hair poking out from the door.

'Hey guys, I saw Mark come in, didn't know you two were working today! Wanna have lunch together?'

'Hi Patrick, sure, we'll pick you up at the bookshop', Josh answered cheerfully. 

Patrick nodded. 'Cool! Need to go back, see you later!', and with that he disappeared.

Josh turned to face Mark, who was checking the cash register behind the counter.

'I thought you told him we were coming?', he asked.

'Dude, I even forgot _I_ was coming. Do you really expect me to remember anything at this point in our friendship?', Mark pointed out.

'Touché', said Josh with a shrug, and went back to work.

The truth is, he had grown very fond of shy, sweet Patrick Stump in the past six months. They had got to know each other during Josh's first week working at the record store. He had noticed the blond boy coming in three days in a row, browsing the aisles and occasionally speaking to Mark. When Josh asked his coworker about it, he told him that he worked in the bookshop across the street and his name was Patrick. Apparently he was very passionate about music, something Josh could relate to. The next day Josh introduced himself and they quickly bonded over their mutual interest in music and specially drumming. They started spending their lunch breaks together and Mark eventually joined them. They had become good friends in short time, and Patrick had promised to teach him a few tricks for the drums. _I should ask him about it today_ , Josh thought.

The rest of the morning went by pretty quickly, with the usual flow of grown-ass, heavy metal bearded men, 12-year-olds fangirling over the latest boy band, and punk teenagers that seemed uncapable of returning the albums to their right spot on the shelf. Really, they never got it right. It pissed Josh off, but he never said anything because it made him feel like a grumpy old man.

A group of said teenagers had just left the store, and Josh had started to relocate all the misplaced CDs when Mark said:

'It's already past noon, wanna go grab something to eat?'

'Fuck yeah', Josh said, leaving the stack of CDs he was holding carelessly on the counter.

They grabbed their jackets, hung a sign on the door saying they were closed for an hour and headed over to the bookshop. Five minutes later, the three boys were sitting at their customary table on their favourite cafe, with sandwiches and hot drinks for everyone.

'Are you absolutely sure no one in your family is British?', Mark asked for the hundredth time. Apparently he found teasing Patrick about his tea-drinking habits extremely amusing.

'Mark, I'm not saying it again, tea is not only for British people', Patrick said with annoyance in his voice.

'I'm just saying, it's pretty weird...'

Josh had witnessed this exchange many times in the past, so he stopped paying attention and stared through the window, holding his warm cup of coffee with both hands. The street was full of adults running errands and families on their way to the park. Such a domestic view. The sky was completely clear and the sun shone, just as he had predicted. Although, everyone was wearing their thickest coats. Perfect winter weather.

A tap on his shoulder brought Josh back to reality. He saw Patrick looking at him with arched brows and an amused expression on his face.

'I just asked,' said Patrick, lazily waving his hand between his friends, 'how come you two are working today?'

Mark was first to answer.

'My best friend is coming to visit from Cleveland and he only has time to hang out on Monday, so I'm taking the day off', he explained with a fond look in his eyes. 'I miss the guy, I haven't seen him in months'.

Patrick nodded, smiling softly. He then turned to Josh. 'What about you?'

'Don't you remember? I'm seeing Green Day on Tuesday!', Josh said, crazily waving his hands in enthusiasm and almost knocking over a cup. Luckily, Mark was fast and could catch it before the coffee spilt all over the table.

'Wow, calm down man' he said with a chuckle. 'Where did all this excitement come from? Last time I asked you about it you could only worry about going there on your own!'

'Yeah, I was pretty worried but then my brother gave me the idea of looking for someone on Facebook, so I posted a message on the show page' Josh explained swiftly, 'and yesterday this guy answered saying he was going alone too and fuck I promised him I would talk to him this morning and I didn't, shit'. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and opened the chat, ignoring his friends's questioning glances.

_Josh: Hey man, sorry I didn't text you earlier, I was working_

He felt a bit guilty for not talking to the guy earlier in the day. It wasn't like they had agreed on a time or anything, but he couldn't help but be a bit anxious about the whole thing. After all, he had been truly desperate to find company for the show, and the reply to his Facebook post had been a tremendous relief, so he wanted to get on well with this person, who he hadn't even registered the name of. Well done, Josh. He clicked in the guy's profile. _Tyler, what a nice name_. Out of curiosity, he touched the profile picture to make it full screen. It showed two boys with dark hair, standing at a basketball court, clearly after playing a game. One of them was taller, and he had his arm around the other. They looked fairly similar. _Probably brothers_ , he thought. Which one of them was Tyler, Josh had no clue. He hoped it was the tall one, he was cute. 

Two, three, five minutes passed without an answer. It wasn't until someone cleared their throat that Josh realised he had been examining the picture and worrying at his lip all this time. He looked up to see their friends staring with a curious expression in their faces.

'Alright, spill the beans Joshy boy. Is he hot?', asked Mark, wiggling his eyebrows.

Josh almost spat out his coffee. How had Mark guessed his train of thought? 'Why would you ask that?'

'You _have_ been staring at your phone screen for five minutes straight', stated Patrick matter-of-factly.

'He hasn't answered yet! I'm just worried he'll think I don't want his company because I haven't talked to him in the whole morning and I don't want him to find someone else to go with because just thinking of going alone makes me extremely anxious and now there's barely any time left to find another person and-'

'Alright alright, don't get so worked up', said Patrick, placing a hand on Josh's arm and squeezing gently. 'We didn't mean to upset you, we know you were worried about this. I'm sure he'll answer soon'

Josh offered him a weak smile. 'Sorry for ranting guys, I know I'm overreacting'

'It'll be fine' answered Patrick, reassuringly.

'Yeah', said Mark, with his mouth full of peanut butter sandwich. 'And if you are lucky, I'll be right and the guy will be hot' 

'Maaaark...' Josh moaned.

'What? I'm only looking out for your best interests, my very bisexual friend', Mark said with a wink.

At that Josh chuckled. Mark could be very exasperating, but he had a good heart. In that moment, he heard the chime that indicated his phone had received a notification. He quickly grabbed it and saw Tyler had answered his message.

_Tyler: No worries man, I've been busy too, I'm just taking a break now_

Josh sighed, relieved. As always, he had been overreacting.

_Josh: same. so what time do you want to start queueing on Tuesday?_

_Tyler: Idk, I live pretty close to the venue, so I thought I'd go as soon as I wake up. Maybe 8ish?_

_Josh: i live 30 minutes away from it, so my mum is driving me there but it can't be earlier than 9_

_Tyler: It's alright, I can save you a spot :)_

_Josh: sick_

_Tyler: Sick?_

_Josh: yeah man, sick as in great and cool and super dope_

_Tyler: Oh okay_

'Josh, hey, we have to go back to the store' Mark said, and Josh saw the boys standing up from the table. Josh quickly typed a message for Tyler saying he had to go back to work but they could talk when he finished, got up from the table and followed his friends. Mark and Josh said goodbye to Patrick, and they went their separate ways.

Once back at work, it was Josh's turn to pick the background music. He chose Green Day's _Dookie._ Tyler seemed like a nice guy, so now he was relaxed enough to revel in the fact that he was seeing one of his favourite bands live. Humming the songs to himself, Josh spent the rest of the day working in very good spirits.

 

*                                    *                                    *

 

Tyler got back to his room after a day spent finishing a class project at one of his group mate's place. It had been an exhausting day. Tyler didn't particularly enjoy working in groups, having to spend so many hours with people he wasn't completely comfortable with left him shattered and in a very bad mood. That's why, when he got in his room, he slammed the door shut, threw his bag at his feet and slid down to sit on the floor with a groan.

'Someone had a bad day?', Pete was sitting on his bed, looking at him from behind his computer screen.

'Group work. I feel like dying right now', Tyler said with a whimper.

'Now now, don't be a baby. Did you at least finish the project?'

'Yes, finally! It's taken so long I thought we would die doing it.'

Pete laughed softly, shaking his head. 'Well now you don't have to think about work until Thursday, you lucky bastard.'

'Damn right', said Tyler, standing up from the floor and walking towards his side of the room, where he emptied his backpack from school books to make space for the few things he was taking with him to Columbus. He didn't really need much, most of his stuff was still at his parents house, so he only took a a couple of t-shirts, underwear, the phone charger and his copy of _Leaves of Grass_ to read on the bus.

Tyler only needed one more thing that he couldn't find, even though he had searched every drawer on the desk. He was starting to get desperate and quite annoyed when Pete intervened.

'Ty', he turned around to see his roommate handing him his headphones. Tyler sighed and put them in the bag and closed it.

'Dude, when was your birthday again? I better get you some headphones so you stop stealing mine', he said in annoyance.

'Not stealing, _borrowing_ ', came the reply. Tyler heard Pete sigh and close his laptop. 'Alright, enough work for today', Pete put his laptop on the desk and turned to lay on his side, facing Tyler. 'Have you talked to the mysterious psycho killer?'

Tyler blushed remembering his panic from yesterday. 'I have, he seems nice. A bit of a dork.'

'Told you it would be fine! So you'll queue with him, right?'

'Yep', said Tyler, nodding.

'Cool! You'll have a great time I'm sure'. Pete's smile turned into a sad pout. 'It's a pity it won't be with me.'

'You brought this upon yourself, Pete', Tyler pointed out, gathering his stuff to take a shower. 'Besides, you've already seen them live three times.'

'One more wouldn't hurt though. Just make sure you say hi to Billie Joe for me' he sighed.

Tyler let out a soft chuckle, heading towards the bathroom. 'I will.'

Once he was fresh and clean, dressed in his extra big and super comfortable pyjamas, Tyler lay down on top of his bed and took his phone out. Pete was on the other side of the room, skyping with his boyfriend. He had never met the guy in person, but they had seen each other through Skype and he was pretty nice. Normally he would have said hi, but Pete seemed completely absorbed in their conversation, so Tyler decided against interrupting.

He opened the Facebook app and saw he already had a message from Josh.

_Josh: man I just saw on your fb a pic of the death cab for cutie show two months ago, you were there??_

_Tyler: Haha yeah! You like them too?_

_Josh: that's so sick!! they are my favourite but i couldn't go see them, tickets sold out_

_Tyler: That sucks, they were awesome :)_

_Josh: i can imagine. hey also, you watch doctor who? I love that series!_

_Josh: i wasn't stalking you btw. well i kinda was, but i needed to check you weren't a serial killer_

_Tyler: Hope you were convinced_

_Josh: absolutely. no serial killer would watch so many crime tv shows, it would give them away_

Tyler laughed at that.

 _So this guy has been looking through my Facebook_ , he thought. There wasn't much to see, he had only opened his account six months ago after the constant nagging of his best friend Mark, who insisted he needed to "connect more" with the world. One day he had sat Tyler down and signed him up for every social platform he could think of. He only really used Instagram and Tumblr, the only one he actually liked. His blog was full of stuff from the different fandoms he was in and the occasional poetry posts, where he shared his own creations. His Facebook was almost empty though. The only picture of himself he had there was his profile one, from last summer with his brother Zack. The rest were from the shows he had gone to, so really there wasn't much to stalk. Anyway, it made him curious about Josh, and went on to his Facebook profile, only to see with disappointment that it was almost empty. The last picture had been uploaded two years ago.

_Tyler: How do I know you are not a psycho? Your facebook is empty_

_Josh: i know, it's because i created it to stay in touch with my extended family, but then everyone got whatsapp so i don't use it anymore. i'll send you a pic tomorrow so you know how i look like_

_Tyler: That doesn't prove you are not a serial killer_

_Josh: okay let me see... i believe in aliens, i love kittens, i'm married to my drums and once i spent five days eating exclusively from Taco Bell_

_Josh: also my hair is pink_

_Josh: that enough to convince you?_

_Tyler: ...Absolutely_

_Tyler: Taco Bell is amazing btw_

_Josh: it is!! omg we should totally eat some the day of the concert_

_Tyler: There's one near the venue!_

_Josh: awesome!_

Tyler smiled, quite amused with the other boy's enthusiasm. He seemed pretty interesting, and apparently they had a few things in common, so maybe he should thank Pete for yesterday's intervention. As excited as he was though, he could feel his eyes closing.

_Tyler: I need to go to bed now, today was a long day_

_Josh: same, i'm destroyed. talk to you tomorrow?_

_Tyler: Sure! Good night Josh :)_

With that, Tyler switched off his phone, got under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly, with the lights still on and Pete chatting away on the other side of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this! Not much is happening rn, but I'm still trying to figure out how writing fics works.  
> Again, comments are very appreciated :)  
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both boys are excited, Tyler misses a chance to learn more about Josh and Patrick is sad without Pete.

'I'm home!' shouted Tyler, opening the door to his parents' house. After almost three hours in a bus, he was glad to have made it home. He heard someone racing down the stairs and soon he was wrapped in a very tight hug. Tyler hugged his mum back, smiling softly. 'Hey Mum'.

She pulled back and held him by the shoulders. 'Look at you, you are thinner than last time I saw you. Have you been eating properly?'

'Yes, Mum', Tyler said with an amused sigh, she always worried too much. 'It's the stress of college.'

She looked skeptical. 'Well, I'm sure "eating properly" doesn't mean the same to you than it does to me', Tyler had to laugh at that, because she was right. He was sure his mum would not appreciate him eating mostly sandwiches during exam season, but he wasn't going to mention it. 'You better eat everything I put in you plate the next three days, young man', Mum said, pointing her finger at him.

'Mum, give him a break, he just arrived'. Tyler looked up to see his brother Zack getting to the bottom of the stairs. Tyler let go of his mum and left his backpack on the floor to give him a quick hug. 

'I set up Mario Kart, ready to lose?', asked Zack, smirking.

'I'm gonna kick your ass, little bro, and you know it', Tyler answered, playfully hitting his brother's shoulder.

'Yeah yeah, we'll see', Zack said while they headed upstairs. Midway, Mum called Tyler's name, so he turned to look at her. 'Yes, Mum?'

'It's good to have you home son, we've missed you', she said.

Tyler smiled at her. 'I've missed you too'. His mum returned the smile, disappearing into the kitchen, and he followed his brother into his room.

Several races later, they heard their mum calling for them to have lunch. Tyler was fast to get to the kitchen, he had had a very early breakfast to catch the bus to Columbus and he was starving.

Zack walked in after him. 'Wow Ty, thanks for arriving at such a good hour, you saved me from laying the table', he said, seeing that everything was ready for them to eat.

'Don't look so pleased with yourself, after we finish you are going to help me tidy up the attic', their mum said, leaving a huge bowl of steaming pasta on the table.

Tyler snickered at his brother, taking a seat. 

'You too, Tyler', Mum added.

'But Mum! I just got here!' Tyler said, giving his mum his best puppy eyes.

'I've been intending to do this since last summer, but everytime I tried to get you to help me you managed to sneak off on me, so we are doing it today. No arguments.'

The brothers groaned at that, but were silenced when their dad walked into the room.

'Hi everyone, sorry I'm late! My watch broke and I lost track of time talking to Father Steven about Easter celebrations.' He gave his wife a chaste kiss on the cheek, and turned to his sons. His face lit up when he saw Tyler, but didn't move to give him a hug. The man wasn't particularly fond of affection displays, but he was patient and kind, and he loved his family more than anything.

'Tyler! It's good to have you back, son. How have you been? Did you have a good journey?', Dad said, joining the boys at the table.

'I've been fine, and the bus was alright. Uncomfortable as always', Tyler answered. 'Where is Madison? I thought she was at church with you.'

'Oh no, she is spending the weekend at her friend Sophie's. Her parents are dropping her off in a couple of hours', Mum said, serving the pasta.

Finally they all sat down and said grace. Tyler ate as much as he could, enjoying the taste of the carbonara sauce with extra of cheese for him, while chatting with his family about whatever was going on in their lives at the moment. It was good to be back home.

 

* * *

 

That night everyone went to bed quite early at the Joseph's house. They had work and school in the morning, and Tyler was tired from having travelled from Cleveland that morning. However, he didn't feel like sleeping just yet, so he took his phone and scrolled through tumblr for a while. It was when he stumbled upon a video of Green Day's concert last week that he remembered the picture Josh had promised him. He opened the Facebook app and typed a message.

_Tyler: Dude, I got to Columbus this morning after two hours of sitting with a snoring old man in the bus, my mum made me tidy up the attic, and you didn't send me a picture like you said you would. Should I fear for my life?_

He received an answer immediately.

_Josh: man! i'm so sorry, I meant to do it this morning but my friend hayley kidnapped me to have a star wars marathon at her place, let me send you one now_

Tyler waited impatietly. A few minutes later he received a picture, and he opened it full of curiosity. It showed a boy standing in front of a full lenght mirror. He was wearing skinny black jeans, sturdy combat boots and a neon green plaid shirt. He had a mop of bright pink curly hair in what looked like a semi mohawk style. Tyler wasn't sure though, because Josh was holding the phone right in front of his face, making it almost impossible to see how he actually looked like. It was a bit disappointing, but Tyler was too awkward to ask him for another picture. He looked very different from his profile picture, that he could tell.

_Josh: that's what i'll be wearing for the show, just so you know_

_Tyler: You look like a neon sign for a cheap motel_

_Josh: don't judge my aesthetic. besides, the bright colors should make it easier for you to spot me in the queue_

_Tyler: Yeah, there's no way I can miss that shirt or your hair_

Suddendly it occured to Tyler that Josh might want to see how he looked like, but there was no way in hell he would send him a picture now. He was in his pyjamas and frankly he looked like shit, so before the other boy could ask him about it he sent a message describing what he was going to wear.

_Tyler: I'll be wearing a black sweater and black jeans, with red socks and a red beanie_

_Josh: so emo_

_Tyler: My soul needs to show itself sometimes_

_Josh: sick, i'll look for your red socks_

_Josh: so if you don't mind me asking, where did you come from this morning? i thought you said you lived near the venue_

_Tyler: I came from Cleveland, I go to uni there. Grew up in Columbus though, my parents' house is the one I was talking about_

_Josh: oooh I see_

The next hour was spent sharing facts about their lives. Tyler learnt about Josh's brother Jordan and the drum kit he actually intended to marry if he reached age 40 without meeting someone special. They talked about the shows they both watched and the music they listened to, interrumpting each other every five minutes to mention how excited they were to be seeing Green Day live. They had lots of things in common, and he was quite intrigued by the bright haired boy, who seemed to not know what capital letters were and who used the word "sick" to describe literally everything.

Eventually Josh said he had to work the next morning and he needed to rest. Tyler was quite tired too, so they said their goodnights, and Tyler curled in his bed. He fell asleep with a peaceful expression on his face, not even thinking about the demons that usually accompanied him to bed on Sunday nights.

 

* * *

 

Monday morning surprised them all with a terrible downpour. Tyler had planned to go out with his friend Mark, grab their longboards and roam around town like they used to do during high school, but with this rain there was no going outside. Tyler took a bus that left him right in front of Mark's apartment. They had been neighbors all their lives, and Mark's family still lived in the house next to Tyler's, but Mark had been working at a record store part time for years now and he had saved enough to rent a place near the town centre. The apartment was quite messy, but Tyler didn't mind. He wasn't much better.

The two friends spent the morning sprawled on the couch, with _The Lord of the Rings_ ' soundtrack playing in the background. They hadn't seen each other since Christmas', and they barely had a chance to talk in the past two months because of Tyler's exams, so they really needed to catch up. Mark showed him all the photographs he had taken, and told him about a gallery that was interested in showing some of his works on an upcoming exhibition. On his part, Tyler read the poems he had written in the past few months. He was feeling unusually confident today, so instead of reciting, he rapped two of them. He had been thinking about turning his poems into songs for a while, and after hearing him Mark said he should totally go for it. It left Tyler quite satisfied and proud of himself.

The conversation eventually died, and they settled into a comfortable silence. For a while Mark just played around with his camera and Tyler tried to get past a level on Candy Crush. He had been stuck for a week now and was getting pretty desperate when a chat bubble appeared on the screen.

_Josh: alright existential question I need immediate answer_

_Josh: favourite GD album?_

_Josh: also thoughts on ¡Uno! ¡Dos! ¡Tré!_

Tyler chuckled at the "existential" question. He then went on to write a pretty long and passionate text on why American Idiot was undeniably the best Green Day album.

'Hey Ty' said Mark, looking up from his spot on the floor to the couch where Tyler was laying down.

'Mmmh?', he made a questioning sound, not taking his eyes off the phone screen.

'Just wondering what you were doing tomorrow? We could go to the cinema when I finish my shift.'

'Can't, I'm going to the Green Day show', Tyler muttered, focused on arguing with Josh, who actually dared to say American Idiot was overrated.

'Oh, yeah I forgot', said Mark, turning his eyes back to his camera. He snapped a few pictures, testing the light and adjusting the exposure. 'My coworker is going to the show too', he mumbled from behind the device.

Tyler wasn't paying attention though, completely absorbed in his conversation with Josh, so he just made a vague sound of agreement and kept typing.

 

 *                                    *                                    *

 

'Hey.'

Josh looked up from his phone screen to see Patrick sitting down in front of him. 'Sorry I'm late, it's been an unusually busy morning', the blonde boy said.

'That's alright', said Josh with a smile. He had had a busy morning too. With Mark being away, their boss had got his niece Natalie to help at the store, but she was just making things harder for Josh. She was lazy and rude, asking stupid questions every five minutes and basically fucking up and not caring about it. Josh had to go after her, cleaning up her messes, and it left him tired and irritated. Finally it was time for his lunch break, but the bookshop was packed and Patrick had said he would meet him at the cafe as soon as he could. While he waited, Josh had been texting Tyler. He sensed a connection with the boy, they had the same kind of humour and seemed to have a similar taste in music and tv shows, and Josh couldn't help but be curious about how many other things they shared an interest in.

That's why he hadn't heard Patrick approach the table, completely focused on his conversation with Tyler. Now the soft-spoken boy was looking at him with curiosity.

'What's got you so distracted?' he asked.

'Mmmh?', Josh quickly looked up from his phone, and realised he had been ignoring his friend. 'Oh, sorry. Wait gimme a second.'

He sent a short message to Tyler saying they could speak later and pocketed his phone, focusing all his attention in Patrick.

'So? Who was it?' the boy asked.

'My queue companion for tomorrow!'. Josh couldn't help the big smile that spread across his face, he was truly excited for the upcoming show.

'Oh, that's nice. I'm glad you are getting along', said Patrick, trying to look happy and relaxed but not quite managing it. Josh noticed he looked tired and sad.

'Hey, what's going on, Patrick? Everything alright?', he said, worried.

The blonde sighed, clearly unhappy. 'I'm fine. It's just that my boyfriend was supposed to be here today, but on Friday he said he got caught up in uni work and he won't be coming.'

'Oh man, that sucks', Josh extended his arm to pat Patrick's shoulder. 'When was the last time you saw him?'

'New Year's. He's had exams until quite recently, that's why he hasn't visited since. He was going to the same show as you, but in the end he can't.'

'Why don't you go to to visit him?'

'I have nowhere to stay. He's in dorms, sharing a room with a guy, and we can't afford a hotel. He said he sold his concert ticket to one of his classmates and that he would use the money to come over next week', Patrick looked at him, apologetic. 'I didn't mean to whine, sorry. It's not like I'm not seeing him soon, but I don't know... I just expected to have him here today I guess', he finished with a shrug.

'No worries, I completely understand that you miss him', Josh said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze.

Patrick gave him a small smile. 'Thanks Josh.'

After that, they changed the topic to music and Patrick visibly relaxed. Before they went their separate ways they agreeded on meeting the following week so Josh could learn some tricks with the drums. Josh went back to work in very good spirits, and the rest of the day passed in a blur. Neither Natalie at work or Jordan with his constant bickering at home managed to lessen the enthusiasm he felt for the following day. 

Before he could think about it he was already in bed, texting Tyler about not being able to sleep. They exchanged phone numbers, not wanting to depend on internet connection for communication and hoping to find each other as easily as possible in the queue. Both boys were restless and excited, so they stayed up talking until 1AM, when they decided they should actually try to get some sleep. 

Next thing you know, Josh's alarm was going off. He immediately jumped out of bed. The day was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much happens in this chapter, sorry about that, but you'll see the boys together soon :)  
> Should I have an updating schedule? Probably.  
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day of the show and the boys meet in person! Tyler gets a wrong first impression of Josh.

Josh was so intent on not sleeping through his alarm that he jumped out of bed the second it went off. He had left everything ready the night before, not wanting to waste time in the morning, so he skipped excitedly towards his chair, where he had laid out his clothes, and got dressed hurriedly. There wasn't much to be done about his hair, so he just wet his hands in water and ran them through his curls, getting rid of a few small knots. He then went on to apply the red eyeshadow he liked wearing on special occasions. Some people had given him shit when he started wearing makeup in highschool, but his friends had loved it and so had his mum. She had even gone to the extent of buying him a tshirt that said "Makeup has no gender", and his father had just smiled and said that it looked "very dramatic". Knowing he had the support of the people that mattered, Josh had ignored the bullies at school, and when they saw their words had no effect in him, they left him alone.

That had been a couple of years ago, and now he had so much practice he was ready in two minutes. He grabbed his backpack and went downstairs, where Jordan was already having breakfast. He looked half-asleep, and didn't seem to notice Josh entering the kitchen, so he snuck behind him, leant close to his brother's ear, and shouted 'JORDAN!'. His brother jumped on his seat with a squeal and almost knocked over his bowl of cereal. Josh burst out in laughter at the comical reaction. It was usually him being grumpy in the mornings, but today he was seeing Green Day and Jordan had an exam, so it made sense that he was the one feeling cheery.

Jordan scowled at him and started saying 'You asshole, I'm gonna-,' but their mum chose that moment to walk into the kitchen. 'I hope you didn't just say what I heard you saying, Jordan,' she said with a knowing look. Jordan looked down, flustered.

Josh snorted and went to the counter to get himself some breakfast. The three of them ate in companionable silence, and once they were done Josh offered to clear up the kitchen while his mother and brother got ready for work and school. He had just finished when he felt his phone buzzing. It was a text from Tyler: ' _couldn't sleep, been queueing since 7. do you know when you'll arrive?'._

Josh looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and felt terribly bad for Tyler seeing that it was 8AM. The weather forecast had said it was going to be a cold day, and he had been queueing for an hour already.  _Oh man, he must be freezing_. Feeling a bit worried, Josh walked over to the bottom of the stairs and raised his voice so his mum could hear him from her room. 'Hey Mum, can you drop me off at the venue before driving Jordan to school?' 

She came out of her room and started walking down the stairs, 'Sorry love, your brother needs to be early to school today for his exam and we need to leave as soon as possible if he wants to make it,' she said that last bit louder so her youngest son would hear it. A muffled response came from upstairs, 'It won't be a minute Mum!'

She smiled apologetically to Josh, who typed a reply feeling slightly worried. _'Sorry dude, won't be there for at least 30 min. u alright? need me to bring anything?'._ The response was almost immediate: _'it's fine, just wanted to know how u were doing. don't bring anything, we can buy coffee when you get here'._ Josh heard his mum calling for him and Jordan to get in the car, so he texted Tyler saying that he'd be there soon and went to retrieve his backpack from where he had left it in the kitchen. Concert ticket, money, water bottle, beanie, portable battery for his phone... Looks like he had everything he needed. He put on his coat and left the house, getting in the car in time to see his brother hastily closing the main door behind him and running towards the vehicle. 

'If we don't leave now I won't get there in time!', he exclaimed, sitting in the back. 

'Calm down sweetheart, we'll make it,' Mum said soothingly, and started the car. Jordan's school was only a ten minute drive away from home, and as soon as they got there the young boy hopped off the car without saying a word. Josh followed him with his eyes, amused.

'He must be really nervous about this exam,' he said.

'He is, but it'll be fine, he's been studying hard,' Mum answered, now driving towards the concert venue.

Josh spent the rest of the drive talking nonstop about the show and how excited he was, with a big grin on his face. His mum couldn't help but smile at her son's excitement and patiently listened to everything he said, even though he had been repeating the same things over and over again in the past few weeks. Soon, the car stopped in front of the venue. From where they were parked, Josh could see the queue, and he estimated that there were about 30 people already waiting. It was quite early, so he reckoned only the crazy ones that had camped outside despite it being February and absolutely freezing would be there, along with a few early birds like him and Tyler. Speaking of, he could feel the anxiety burbling inside him at the thought of having to look for him. He visualized the Facebook picture in his head, he had to look for one of the boys in it. He wasn't sure which one Tyler was, and he would have to walk along the line and all the people would look at him and...

His string of anxious thoughts was interrupted when his mum patted his shoulder, 'I have to go to work now, Josh'.

He realised he hadn't moved a muscle, and turned to give his mum a kiss on the cheek. 'Alright Mum, I'll see you tomorrow morning'.

'Okay honey, please text me through the day so I know you're alright, okay? And I'm sorry I can't pick you up tonight.' 

Josh opened the door and exited the car. 'I'll be fine. Have a nice day', he said, closing the door. 'Love you!', she answered from inside.

Josh gave his mum a final wave as she drove away, and crossed the road towards the venue. He could already feel people's stares, it was clear he was there to join the queue. He scanned the line of people, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, but wanting to find a boy dressed in black clothes and red socks. A sudden thought came to his mind: what if they didn't get along? _What if everything is awkward between us? Oh please God, if you are there let us be as cool as we've been on Facebook,_ he prayed silently. Distracted by his thoughts, he almost missed Tyler. Luckily for him, his companion spotted him and before Josh could walk past him, he called his name. Josh turned to see a boy sitting against the wall, red socks on his feet.

Still feeling exposed to other peoples stares, he hurriedly walked over to him and slumped on the ground. As soon as he got out of sight he felt much better. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and turned to face the boy next to him.

'Hi there Tyler, nice to meet you in person', he said with a smile. He saw a boy with tanned skin and short dark hair who looked quite nervous, just like Josh himself. 'Nice to meet you too', he answered with a small smile.

 _So Tyler is the tall one_ , Josh thought. _He's cuter in person._

 

 *                                    *                                    *

 

Tyler was fucking freezing. It was his fault really, he could have stayed home for another hour in the warmth and comfort of his bed, but he was so restless he decided to go out earlier than expected. He had gotten dressed, written a note for his mum and left the house. He was so agitated he didn't stop to have breakfast, grabbing a bag of cookies from the kitchen instead. When he arrived at the venue the only people there were the ones that had been camping during the night. They had made small talk for a while, but eventually the other's resumed the card game they had been playing and Tyler pulled out his earplugs to pass the time while he waited for Josh. During the following hour, the line got longer and Tyler grew nervous. It was easy to spot the people coming to join the queue from the far end of the street: most of them had colorful hair, combat boots, skinny jeans and Green Day tshirts. But none of them were Josh. Being surrounded by so many people and not knowing anyone made Tyler anxious. Seeing them talking, laughing and making friends made him feel alone and fidgety. He wished Josh would arrive soon so he texted him to see how he was doing, and was relieved when the other boy said he would arrive in half an hour. He was desperate for some coffee to keep him warm, but didn't feel like leaving the queue and having to ask someone to save his spot. Instead he opened the bag of cookies, curling up on his spot and nibbling at them nervously.

Time went by painfully slowly, and Tyler could feel himself getting more concerned every minute. It had occurred to him last night that he might not get on with Josh in real life as well as he did via Facebook. The dude could be a real douche for all he knew, and that possibility made him afraid.

When 20 minutes passed since Josh's text he started paying more attention to the people approaching the venue, looking for a neon green shirt and a mop of bright pink hair. Josh could arrive at any moment now. He scanned the crowd of newcomers in the hopes of seeing the boy, but ten minutes passed and he didn't spot him. Tyler was starting to think he might have missed him when he got a glimpse of green stepping out of a car. He squinted his eyes, trying to see if it really was Josh, but a group of teenagers chose that moment to stand in the way to take a selfie, putting the car out of Tyler's sight. When they finally moved out of the way, Tyler eagerly looked over, but the green shirt was nowhere to be seen. _Maybe it was someone that's not coming to the concert_ , Tyler thought, frustrated. He was pulling out his phone to text Josh again when he spotted him. A boy with a neon green shirt and neon pink hair crossing the street.

Tyler had started to stretch out his hand to wave at him when his brain actually registered what he was seeing. He slowly put his arm down, taking in the sight of the boy who was walking along the queue, clearly searching for him. His parka had one of those furry hoods and was open to reveal the infamous green shirt, and what Tyler had thought were skinny jeans were actually leather leggings, so thight they looked like a second skin. He looked like he belonged on the cover of some magazine, not on his way to spend a day with Tyler Joseph. He noticed Josh seemed pretty worried, and Tyler realised it must have been because Josh hadn't seen him yet. 

Suddendly, Tyler snapped out of the trance he had been in, seeing that the other boy was almost in front of him. Tyler thought it was unlikely he would notice him: all curled up in his coat his socks were hidden and he knew they were the only thing Josh had for reference. Before he could pass by, Tyler stretched his legs, making the red fabric visible, and raised his voice to call the boy.

'Josh!', he said, not too loud so he wouldn't attract attention. Fortunately it was enough, because Josh immediately turned his head in his direction. Tyler saw he had dark eyes. Josh looked down to check Tyler's socks, and when he looked back up he sighed in relief. He walked quickly towards Tyler, who moved slightly to the side to make room for the other boy to sit. He slumped right next to him, took a deep breath, and turned to face Tyler. He had a huge grin on his face that made his eyes squint and look outright adorable, and a few pink curls fell casually on his forehead with the movement.

'Hi there Tyler, nice to meet you in person', Josh said. Tyler found that the nerves had left him speechless, and not without effort he managed to mutter an answer and pull a small smile for Josh, who nodded appreciatively.

Seeing him up close, Tyler noticed he had black gauges in his ears and a nose ring, and groaned internally. Now he was almost sure he and Josh weren't going to get along. He looked like the cool kids at school, the ones that were super extroverted and everyone loved, but he felt intimidated by. _He'll start making friends with other people and end up leaving with them,_ he thought _._ He let out a quiet grunt of disappointment, but resigned to his fate. _There's no going back now._

'So, you've been here since 7?', Josh asked, turning to face forwards, resting his head against the wall.

'Yeah, couldn't sleep, I was too excited', answered Tyler quietly.

'Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long, my mum had to drive my brother to school before she could drop me off here.'

'That's alright', the dark haired boy answered, glancing sideways at the other.

'Aren't you cold?', Josh asked, 'It's freezing today!', he exclaimed, closing his coat with visibly shaking hands.

Tyler answered with a simple 'Yeah', not really knowing how to talk to Josh, and drew his legs closer to his body, wrapping his arms around his knees. It really was cold. A short, uncomfortable silence followed, and Tyler could feel Josh fidgeting next to him. 

'Uhm, so... you said you wanted coffee?', Josh said sounding shy, which made Tyler look up in slight surprise. When he didn't answer immediately, Josh explained, 'We could go grab some now, I could use a hot drink too. But only if you want, I mean...'. He sounded nervous.

Tyler simply gave him a nod, reaching for his bag. He stood up and took a few steps before turning to see Josh talking to the guys that were sitting next to them. _Here we go, making new friends_ , he thought gloomily. He stood there awkwardly, not knowing if he should wait or call his companion or just go, but before he could decide on anything Josh was standing up and approaching him.

'I just asked them if they could save our spot in case the queue moves', Josh said with a tense smile. 'Shall we go?', he asked, and started to walk quite fast, not waiting for an answer. Tyler followed him, feeling intrigued by the boy's attitude. Josh had been friendly and talkative, but if at first Tyler had thought he would be super self-confident, now he wasn't so sure. He seemed quite nervous, and Tyler wondered whether he might actually be just as he had seemed through Facebook: dorky and super nice, but quite shy at times. He guessed he had been slightly prejudiced against the other boy based on his first impression of him and past experiencies with kids at school, and knew he must have come across as rude. It occurred to him that Josh might be just as nervous as he was, and Tyler mentally punched himself on the face for being such a close-minded twat and resolved to make it up to his companion for his attitude. After all, they had got along extremely well through Facebook.

Tyler hurried to walk beside Josh, and when he caught up with him he noticed that the boy looked quite tense. Struggling to find something to say, he asked the first thing that came to his mind.

'So, did you finish season 4 of Doctor Who?'

Josh looked at him, obviously puzzled by the out-of-nowhere question, but recovered quickly and answered, 'I did! Yesterday after work, I forgot to tell you. It was amazing! I was so sad to see David Tennant leave, but I'm excited about Matt Smith being the Doctor.'

'I think you'll like him.'

'Really? I want to believe that, but Tennant was just _so good_. I don't think I can like anyone after him', Josh said.

'You will, trust me. Matt is very quick-witted and eccentric, but not in the same way as David Tennant. He felt like the perfect choice to me to be honest, you must let me know what you think when you watch it.'

'I will, I think I might watch it tomorrow night, I'm eager to start the next season', Josh stated, and this time he gave Tyler a big smile. He saw that with just that short exchange, the tension seemed to have faded away and the boy was now walking at a more relaxed pace. When they got to the nearest Starbucks they were still talking about the season 4 finale and how crazy it was, with Tyler trying to recall all the details and Josh reminding him with enthusiasm. They ordered their drinks, and while they waited in silence Tyler noticed with satisfaction how Josh now looked at ease. The pink haired boy was looking at his phone, texting someone, but he must have sensed Tyler's stare because he looked up and their eyes met. Tyler felt a bit embarrassed for being caught staring, and he felt his cheeks going red, but Josh only gave him an appreciative smile which Tyler shyly returned.

They got back to the queue with their drinks in hand and sat down in the same spot as before, chatting away about the shows they were watching at the moment. Tyler had forgot about his previous fears until he saw a guy tapping Josh in the shoulder. The boy turned and they started talking, and Tyler felt his insecurities coming back to him. This was it, the moment when Josh forgot about him. However, his somber thoughts were proved wrong when Josh turned back to him and picked up the conversation where he had left it. Surprised, Tyler interrupted him, 'Was he a friend of yours?'

Josh waved his hand, dismissing the idea. 'No, no, he recognized me from the store I work in, but the truth is so many people come in I don't remember half their faces', he said, sounding sheepish.

Tyler nodded thoughtfully, and Josh simply continued talking about why Game of Thrones was probably the best tv show of all time.

* * *

After a few hours in the queue, Tyler heard his stomach rumble, and realised he was very hungry. 'I'm starving, do you want to eat something?, he asked, opening his backpack in search of his wallet.

'I didn't bring anything, I thought I would be too excited to eat but the truth is I'm hungry', Josh answered. 

Tyler looked up at that, 'I thought we were having Taco Bell?'.

Josh smacked his own forehead, remembering their conversation. 'Oh man, I completely forgot! Yes, sure, let's eat some Tacos!', he said, hurriedly getting to his feet.

Tyler chuckled at that, but quickly followed the boy and soon they were standing in line in the Taco Bell across the street.

While they waited, Josh turned to him and said, 'Dude, I'm so so excited for this concert, I can't actually believe we are here!'.

'Is this your first time seeing them?', Tyler asked.

'Yeah, yours?'

'No, I've seen them twice already. Every time's exciting though.', Tyler smiled.

'This is your third time? That's amazing!', Josh looked at him in admiration, 'I envy you, this is actually my first ever show in a venue this big, I've never seen famous bands live before.'

'You are going to love it, these guys are amazing live. I actually think if we hurry after the security check we can get to the front row', Tyler assured him.

Josh's eyes opened a lot at that, 'You mean it? Oh my God that's awesome!'. He grabbed Tyler's arm in excitement, 'Tyler, you have to promise you'll hold my hand and run with me once we get inside. We  _need_ to be in the front row.' His eyes were sparkling with enthusiasm. 

Tyler felt oddly relieved at Josh's request: he wanted them to stay together until the end of the concert. He beamed at the thought.

'Of course, Josh, I'll run with you.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the boys met! I'm so excited to have them interacting in person, they are too cute for my soul.  
> Let me know what you think in the comments :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys hit it off and Josh is amusingly hungry.

Alright, so things might not have started off too well between them, but after sharing screenshots of their favourite Tumblr posts over a delicious meal consisting exclusively of tacos, Josh was pretty sure they were going to have a great time together.

When he had first sat down next to Tyler he had tried really hard to start a conversation, but seeing that the other boy was so quiet and serious had shot up Josh's anxiety. _He probably hates me he doesn't want to be here he regrets talking to me in the first place is the whole day going to be this awkward?_ Josh knew the thoughts that flooded his mind made no sense at all, Tyler couldn't hate him when they barely knew each other, but that was how his brain worked. In a last attempt at being friendly, he had suggested going for coffee to which Tyler had barely muttered an answer and stood up. Josh had realised he had to tell someone to save their spot, seeing that Tyler had no intention of doing it, and after a brief conversation with the boys that sat right next to them he had left the queue in a rush. He felt extremely tense, all thanks to the anxiety that wouldn't let him behave like a normal human being in front of strangers. He noticed he was walking quite fast, but saw Tyler keeping up with him out of the corner of his eye, so he didn't slow down until he heard the other boy speaking beside him.

'So, did you finish season 4 of Doctor Who?'

Josh almost stopped at that, surprised. Was Tyler trying to have a conversation? He hadn't seemed up for it just a few minutes ago, but the look on his eyes now was hopeful and encouraging, so he answered, offering the other boy a tentative smile.

After that, everything got better. They talked about tv shows and annoying brothers, and Josh completely forgot about his anxiety. Tyler was as nice in person as he had been online, and the attitude he had had in the beggining was probably due to nerves and shyness. Right now, Josh was having a great time. He noticed the people surrounding them were all talking and making new friends, but he was content with just one person to share the day with. They talked a lot, and even though they sometimes fell silent, Josh didn't mind. They weren't awkward silences, filled with pressure to say something. They simply didn't have anything to say, so they just stayed in each other's company, looking around them and basking in the environment, trying to absorb everything that was happening. 

Josh texted his mum a few times, letting her know he was eating and staying hydrated and that he was in good company. At around 4PM he started getting restless, they had been waiting for a long time and still had three more hours to go. Tyler and him had been playing in their phones for a while, but Josh got bored and turned to face him, leaning sideways on the wall.

'You never mentioned what you were studying.'

Tyler looked up from his phone, confused. 'What?'

'What are you studying?'

'Oh', said Tyler, putting his phone down. 'I'm majoring in English'.

'Minor?'

'Music.'

'Sick. Do you play any instruments?', asked Josh, curious.

'Piano, ukulele and I just started learning the bass guitar. I mainly sing though.'

Josh nodded slowly, eyebrows raised in admiration. 'All that? Wow! I only play the drums.'

'That's awesome!', exclaimed Tyler. 

'It is! I've been playing for a few years now, I love it', he said with a soft smile that Tyler returned.

'You don't study, right?', the dark haired boy asked.

'Nah, I work. I don't think studying is for me. And my family can use a bit of extra money, so', answered Josh, getting serious. He hadn't intended to say that last bit but it had slipped out of his mouth. His family was a touchy subject he didn't want to talk about with a boy he had only met this morning, but Tyler must have sensed his mood because he didn't say anything to that, instead changing the subject to drums again. Relieved, Josh told him how he had got a second-hand drum kit from a friend of Hayley's and how he had learnt how to play in his basement. He then showed him pictures of the brand new kit he had bought with his savings a month ago, proud like a mother would be of her son. Some time went by like that, sharing stories of how they had learnt to play instruments by themselves.

Two hours before the doors opened, venue workers came outside and told the people to stand up and get closer to each other so the queue would take less space on the street. At that point everyone was desperate for the show to start, specially around Tyler and Josh where people had been waiting the longest. Josh could feel pins and needles in his legs, and his knees were extremely sore from the cold. To top it all, his stomach chose one of the odd moments of relative silence around them to growl. Tyler looked his way, and upon seeing Josh's red face he let out a short laugh.

'Dude, are you hungry again? We ate so many tacos earlier!', he said.

'I know, and I thought the nerves would stop me from eating or I would have brought some sort of snack', Josh answered, very embarrassed. 'I'll go to Starbucks and get someting', he said, taking a step out of the queue.

'Wait, wait', Tyler stopped him, letting his backpack hang from one shoulder while he rummaged through its contents. 'Here, you can have these', he said, handing Josh a bag of cookies.

'Oh', said Josh, moving back to the queue and accepting the bag from Tyler. 'Thanks man'.

He opened it, retrieving one of the cookies, and waved it towards the other boy, who shook his head. Josh shrugged and ate it, looking around them and seeing everyone standing very close to each other, chatting animatedly about the upcoming show. Lost in thought, he ate four cookies and had was starting a fifth when he heard Tyler chuckle beside him. 

'You really were hungry, weren't you?', the boy asked with arched eyebrows.

Josh realised he had eaten a lot and gave Tyler an apollogetic look. 'I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to have so many', he said, stretching his arm so the other boy could get the bag, but he pushed it back towards Josh and shook his head. 'No, no, it's alright', he said with a grin, 'I just found it funny because earlier you said excitement makes you lose your appetite'.

'Yeah, it's how it usually works', said Josh with a small shrug and a mouth full of cookies, 'I don't know what's going on today'.

'I'm glad I got you covered then', Tyler answered, still smiling.

Slightly embarrassed, Josh looked around. They were only an hour away from the door opening and everyone was buzzing with excitement. A group of poeple a few feet behind them were setting one of those small Bluetooth speakers, and started playing Green Day songs. Old ones, the most recent stuff... Everything. And everyone around them started singing along. Josh listened, amazed by the fact that all of them were here for the same reason, united by one band. He wasn't much of a singer, but he soon joined in. He noticed Tyler standing quietly beside him, so he elbowed him lightly on his side. The taller boy looked over to him, and Josh pointed to his mouth and waved his hand in question, still singing. Tyler leant closer to his ear so Josh could hear him and explained, 'I don't know all the lyrics to this one!'.

Josh shook his head mockingly at that and sang louder, 'I'm a walking contradiction and I ain't got no right!'.

The next song that came up was Boulevard of Broken Dreams and the whole fucking world knew that song, so he gave Tyler an eyebrow wiggle, challenging him to stay quiet through this one. Rolling his eyes, Tyler joined in. At first Josh couldn't hear him, singing at the top of his lungs himself, but when he finally caugth a few notes from the boy next to him he grew quieter. He moved slightly so he could listen to Tyler. He had an uncommon, beautiful voice. When the song ended he told him.

'You have such a good voice!'

Tyler laughed softly and looked down, cheeks turning pink. _Ok that was too adorable_ , Josh thought. At that moment, some venue workers began walking along the line and telling people to have their tickets on hand. 'And be prepared to have your bags checked by security before entering!'.

The boys retrieved the tickets from their bags and Josh gave the cookies back to Tyler. They saw with excitement how two men stood at the front of the queue, getting the machines ready to check the barcodes. 

At 7 o'clock, the doors opened and the first person got in. There were very few people in front of them, and Josh was so excited he started bouncing up and down. He searched for Tyler's hand with his own, grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. Tyler locked eyes with him and smiled, squeezing back. A minute later they were at the front of the queue, their tickets were checked, and they raced up the front stairs of the building. They got separated at the security check, and after Josh passed it he searched for Tyler, anxious to get inside. He felt a hand slide on his own and saw Tyler standing by his side with sparkling eyes. 

'Come on, let's get to the front row!', he said tugging at Josh's hand. They started running inside, but a security guard called their attention saying that running wasn't allowed, so they walked as fast as they could, bouncing of joy and excitement.

Only ten people had got in before them so as Tyler had said, they got to be in the front row. When Josh touched the metal barrier, his mind went completely blank for a second, too everwhelmed to really understand what was happening. He turned to see Tyler watching him with a huge grin on his face. 'I told you! We are at the very front!'

Josh looked at the stage, then back at Tyler, and threw his head back in laughter. 'We are! Front fucking row! I can't believe this man, I can't!'. He grabbed Tyler's shoulder, shaking it and then pulling him in for a hug. He felt Tyler chuckling breathlessly against his hair and squeezed him before pulling apart. Josh leaned against the barrier, whispering 'Oh my God' repeatedly and looking around with wide eyes, tryin to take in his surroundings.

'Hey Josh', said Tyler poking his arm. 'Do you know the supporting act?'

'Nope', Josh shook his head. 'Who are they?'

Tyler shrugged, 'I have no idea, that's why I asked. Anyway, I need to go to the toilet before it gets too crowded, would you look after my bag?'

'Sure', Josh answered, and Tyler left. Josh moved to his left extending his arms to take more space on the barrier and leaving Tyler's backpack at his feet. He accidentally hit a girl standing on Tyler's other side, and apologized, 'I'm so sorry! Didn't mean to hit you!'

'No worries', she said with a thumbs up and a smile.

Five minutes later, Josh received a text from his mum asking how he was doing. He had started typing a reply when Tyler appeared next to him. 'Boo! You missed me?'.

Josh snorted without looking up, 'I sure did Ty.' He texted his mum saying he was fine and that he would let her know when the show was over, and then put his phone back in his bag. He saw Tyler was texting too, so he poked him in the arm just like the other boy had done to him minutes ago.

'Hey Tyler', he said with a serious voice, 'I need to ask you something.'

Tyler looked up at that, pocketing his phone. 'Sure Josh, what is it?'

There was a dramatic pause before Josh's face broke into a cheeky smile.

'Can I have more cookies?'

 

 *                                    *                                    * 

 

It was Tyler's turn to throw his head back and laugh at the unexpected question. He shook his head in desbelief, but reached inside his bag to get the cookies.

Josh munched happily on three of them before the pit got so crowded they started getting pushed against the barrier and towards the sides. They agreeded they needed to secure their spot, so they dropped their bags at their feet and held the barrier tightly. Nobody was going to move them.

Tyler had a sudden thought and took his phone out. He snapped a few pictures of the crowd and the stage, and then turned to Josh. 'We have to take a picture together!'

Josh nodded enthusiastically and got closer to him. Tyler stretched his arm and took a selfie.

'Let's do one with silly faces now!', said Josh.

After a few duckfaces and cross-eyes in a terrible red light, Tyler saw a girl standing on the other side of the barrier and waved his hand to catch her attention. When she came closer he asked if she could take a picture of them, and handed her his phone. Tyler threw his arm around Josh's shoulders, realising in that moment that he had a couple of inches on the pink haired boy. He grinned widely, leaning against Josh. After the girl took the picture and gave his phone back, she pointed to the camera hanging from her neck.

'Do you mind if I take a picture too? It's for the venue's Facebook.'

The boys nodded and she snapped a couple of shots with a very powerful flash, gave them a thumbs up and a smile and left to take more pictures of the audience. 

At that point the venue was almost full, and Tyler saw the time was 7:55PM. In five minutes the supporting act would start and play a half an hour set, and then... Tyler gave a tiny squeal, excited for what was to come. He saw Josh looking at him with amusement, he had obviously heard Tyler's noise. Tyler felt his cheeks turning pink, but smiled carelessly. He was so at ease with the other boy that he didn't care about coming across as weird. There was no point in hiding it, Josh must have realised by now. 

So far this day had been one of the best in his life. The show hadn't even started, but he was having the greatest of times with Josh. He should thank Pete for not coming after all, though he wasn't sure the other boy would appreciate that. _I mustn't forget to get him something from the merch stand,_ Tyler thought.

Suddendly, the room went dark and only a faint blue light illuminated the stage where three boys and a girl came out.

A guitar started playing, and even though he didn't know the band, Tyler felt excitement bubbling up inside him. The show had just begun. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry I took so long to update, I've been incredibly busy and had no time to write anything! Also this is shorter than usual, I was desperate to have something for you to read. Hope you guys like it, let me know what you think in the comments! <3


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